Mary Etta Boitano
Encyclopedia
Mary Etta Boitano was a child road running
star who achieved some spectacular results in the 1970s, chasing world age group marathon records in the late 60s and early 70s with her brother, Mike. Together, the two tallied well over 7 world age group records.
Mary Etta, a contemporary of Mary Decker
from the San Francisco Bay Area, is the youngest child from the running Boitano family. Her father, John, and mother, Mary Lucille, were also running road races. John was instrumental in starting the Dophin South End Runners with Walt Stack
as well as the Pamakids with Grant Newland in San Francisco. Mary Etta earned an appearance in the Sports Illustrated
Faces in the Crowd as the first female finisher in the 6.8 mile Dipsea Race
race at the age of 5. Five years later she became the first female to win the race overall, at the age of 10, beating her brother Mike who had won the previous two years. (Dipsea participants' times are adjusted with an age and gender-based handicapping system.) It is still the fastest time run by a woman. She also received the Sports Illustrated Award of Merit recognition in October 1970.
At the age of 5 she started running marathon
s, winning the Avenue of the Giants Marathon
at the age of 10. Still at the age of 10, she ran a 3:01.15 marathon which ranked her #13 in the world and 4th in the nation for the year 1974 ahead of Kathrine Switzer
and Gabriela Andersen-Schiess who were decades her senior. Such was the Marathon world record progression for women at that time, had she run that time only three years earlier, it would have been the world record. From ages 6 to 13 she logged in well over 40 marathons with the 3:01:15 being her personal best.
At the age of 11 she began a string of three straight victories in the famous Bay to Breakers
race. She is the youngest winner in the history of the race.
She also set the fastest women's finishing time at 43:22 for the 7.86 mile course, a record which stood for 5 years. She went on to win the Women's Division again in 1975 and 1976. In 1983, the course was shortened to an official 12K (7.46 miles).
She later ran cross country and track for San Francisco State University
and graduated with a bachelor's degree in nursing.
Hal Higdon
wrote a "Where are they now" article for Runners World in 2002, locating Mary Etta, now married and working as a computer technician in Sonoma, California
where she continues to run for fun. She is inspiring her young children to run.
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
star who achieved some spectacular results in the 1970s, chasing world age group marathon records in the late 60s and early 70s with her brother, Mike. Together, the two tallied well over 7 world age group records.
Mary Etta, a contemporary of Mary Decker
Mary Decker
Mary Slaney is an American former track athlete. During her career, she won gold medals in the 1500 meters and 3000 meters at the 1983 World Championships, and set 17 official and unofficial world records and 36 US national records.-Biography:Mary Decker was born in Bunnvale, Hunterdon County, New...
from the San Francisco Bay Area, is the youngest child from the running Boitano family. Her father, John, and mother, Mary Lucille, were also running road races. John was instrumental in starting the Dophin South End Runners with Walt Stack
Walt Stack
Walt Stack was a hod carrier by trade and an icon of the San Francisco, California, running community by popular acclaim. Stack ran approximately in his lifetime...
as well as the Pamakids with Grant Newland in San Francisco. Mary Etta earned an appearance in the Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
Faces in the Crowd as the first female finisher in the 6.8 mile Dipsea Race
Dipsea Race
The Dipsea Race is the oldest cross-country trail running event—and one of the oldest foot races of any kind—in the United States. The 7.5 mile long Dipsea Race has been held annually almost every year since 1905, starting in Mill Valley, and finishing at Stinson Beach, in Marin County,...
race at the age of 5. Five years later she became the first female to win the race overall, at the age of 10, beating her brother Mike who had won the previous two years. (Dipsea participants' times are adjusted with an age and gender-based handicapping system.) It is still the fastest time run by a woman. She also received the Sports Illustrated Award of Merit recognition in October 1970.
At the age of 5 she started running marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
s, winning the Avenue of the Giants Marathon
Avenue of The Giants Marathon
The Avenue of the Giants Marathon is held annually in May along the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt Redwoods State Park in Humboldt County, CA. The course, consisting of two out-and-back legs, is almost entirely under the canopy of redwood trees. Half marathon and 10K races are run concurrently...
at the age of 10. Still at the age of 10, she ran a 3:01.15 marathon which ranked her #13 in the world and 4th in the nation for the year 1974 ahead of Kathrine Switzer
Kathrine Switzer
Kathrine Switzer is the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as a numbered entry. She entered and completed the race in 1967, five years before women were officially allowed to compete in it. Her finishing time of approximately 4 hours and 20 minutes was nearly an hour behind the first female...
and Gabriela Andersen-Schiess who were decades her senior. Such was the Marathon world record progression for women at that time, had she run that time only three years earlier, it would have been the world record. From ages 6 to 13 she logged in well over 40 marathons with the 3:01:15 being her personal best.
At the age of 11 she began a string of three straight victories in the famous Bay to Breakers
Bay to Breakers
The Bay to Breakers is an annual footrace which takes place in San Francisco, California on the third Sunday of May. The name reflects the fact that the race starts at the northeast end of the downtown area a few blocks from The Embarcadero and runs west through the city to finish at the Great...
race. She is the youngest winner in the history of the race.
She also set the fastest women's finishing time at 43:22 for the 7.86 mile course, a record which stood for 5 years. She went on to win the Women's Division again in 1975 and 1976. In 1983, the course was shortened to an official 12K (7.46 miles).
She later ran cross country and track for San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
and graduated with a bachelor's degree in nursing.
Hal Higdon
Hal Higdon
Hal Higdon is an American writer and runner. He has contributed to Runner's World magazine longer than any other writer. He is the author of 34 books, including the best-selling Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide...
wrote a "Where are they now" article for Runners World in 2002, locating Mary Etta, now married and working as a computer technician in Sonoma, California
Sonoma, California
Sonoma is a historically significant city in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA, surrounding its historic town plaza, a remnant of the town's Mexican colonial past. It was the capital of the short-lived California Republic...
where she continues to run for fun. She is inspiring her young children to run.